Abstract
When mekabu is heated and stirred, it acquires viscous properties. In the present study, the substance responsible for this viscosity was prepared at different temperatures, and the viscosity was measured using a TV-20 viscometer. To elucidate the primary factors causing the change in viscosity in this substance as a result of preparations at different temperatures, total sugar content, and the distribution of each sugar molecular weight and the amount of alginate were measured, and the following findings were obtained.
1. As the preparation temperature rose (10°C,20°C,40°C to 60°C), the viscosity of the viscous substance increased accordingly. The viscosity of the viscous substance had a strong positive correlation with both the amounts of exudated sugar and alginate.
2. The sugar level, sugar molecular weight distribution, and alginate level in the viscous substance showed great changes when the preparation temperature was increased from 20°C to 40°C. This suggests that sugars with molecular weights of around 100,000 dalton contribute to the high viscosity of viscous substances prepared at high temperatures. Keywords: Mekabu, Viscosity, Preparation temperature, Gel filtration chromatography, Alginate
